Baghdad: The eyes of football fans around the world are turning to New York's stadium in New Jersey, which will host the final match of the 2026 World Cup. Spain and Argentina will meet in a highly anticipated match to determine the world champion after a grueling and exciting 40-day tournament.
According to National Iraqi News Agency, the upcoming match has a special significance, as it brings together two teams with rich histories and different ambitions. Argentina enters the match aiming to defend its world title and continue its dominance, while Spain seeks to return to the podium and reclaim the trophy it first won in the 2010 edition in South Africa.
So far, 102 matches have been played in the first edition of the expanded World Cup, held in 16 host cities across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The tournament will conclude with the third-place match at midnight on Saturday at Miami Stadium, followed by the final tomorrow, bringing the total number of matches to 104. This edition of the tournament featured 48 teams for the first time under the expanded format. The teams were divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, advancing to the Round of 32. The knockout stages then commenced, culminating in the final.
Arab football made a historic appearance in this edition, with eight teams participating and achieving varying results. Morocco reached the quarterfinals, while Egypt was eliminated in the Round of 16 by Argentina. Algeria's campaign ended in the Round of 32, while the other five Arab teams only participated in the group stage.
Both Spain and Argentina are vying for the title, with Spain aiming for its second World Cup victory and Argentina hoping to add a fourth to its record. Spain reached the final after eliminating France, one of the tournament favorites, with a 2-0 win in the semi-final. In that match, coach Luis de la Fuente's team dominated proceedings, relying on effective possession, a solid defense, and clinical finishing.
Spain topped Group H after starting with a goalless draw against Cape Verde, before regaining their composure with a resounding 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia. They then defeated Uruguay 1-0 to secure first place in their group and advance to the knockout stages. Spain began their knockout campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win over Austria in the round of 32, before securing two consecutive hard-fought victories against European opponents.
In the round of 16, Mikel Merino decided the match against Portugal with a late goal that gave his country a 1-0 victory, and then the same player repeated the same role in the quarter-finals, scoring the winning goal against Belgium 2-1, in the match in which the Spanish team conceded its only goal in the tournament so far. Spain continued their upward trajectory, culminating in a stunning semi-final victory over France, the runners-up in the previous World Cup and the 2018 World Cup champions in Russia. This secured their place in the World Cup final for the second time in their history, and the first time since their triumph in the 2010 South Africa tournament, where they reached their first-ever final.
Meanwhile, defending champions Argentina also reached the final for the second consecutive time, having started their campaign with three straight wins in the group stage. They continued their progress in the knockout rounds, led by their captain Lionel Messi, who topped the tournament's scoring charts with eight goals, bringing his total to 21 World Cup goals. Argentina began their campaign with a resounding 3-0 victory over Algeria, with Messi scoring all three goals. They then defeated Austria 2-0, both goals coming from Messi, before concluding the group stage with a 3-1 win over Jordan, a match in which Messi added another goal to his tally.
Argentina's task became increasingly difficult in the knockout stages. They needed extra time to overcome Cape Verde 3-2 in the round of 32, before staging a remarkable comeback against Egypt in the round of 16. Trailing 2-0 until the 79th minute, they rallied to win 3-2 and secure their place in the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, Argentina again needed extra time to defeat Switzerland 3-1 after a 1-1 draw in regulation time. Capitalizing on Switzerland being reduced to ten men, Argentina took the lead in extra time through Julian lvarez, before Lautaro Martnez added a third goal to seal their passage to the semifinals.
Argentina continued their run in the semifinals with a thrilling 2-1 victory over England. After Anthony Gordon gave England the lead early in the second half, Enzo Fern¡ndez and substitute Lautaro Martnez scored to secure the win and their place in the final for the second consecutive year and the seventh time in their history. Argentina will enter the final seeking to retain the title they won at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, defeating France 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw in regulation and extra time at Lusail Stadium, the venue for that historic final and an exceptional tournament hosted by Qatar.
The two teams are evenly matched in their head-to-head record, each with six wins and two draws. However, Argentina won their only previous World Cup encounter, a 2-1 victory over Spain in 1966. The most recent meeting between the two sides ended in a resounding 6-1 victory for Spain in a friendly match in 2018, marking Spain's third win in their last four encounters in the 21st century, compared to Argentina's single victory.
Ticket prices for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain on Sunday have reached unprecedented record highs, making it the most expensive sporting event in US history. According to data from specialized ticket resale platforms, the average ticket price for the final game jumped to approximately $11,327, far surpassing previous records for major American sporting events, including the Super Bowl, which held the previous record at $9,411 in 2024, and the NBA.
Indications suggest that the minimum price for a single ticket in the upper tiers reached approximately $8,242, while premium seats offering a full view of the stadium, which seats over 80,000, reached approximately $44,889 per seat. These record-breaking prices come despite widespread criticism directed at FIFA since the start of the World Cup on June 11th due to its dynamic pricing policy, which has increased official ticket prices fivefold compared to the 2022 Qatar edition.
Despite concerns about the impact of prices on attendance, the current tournament has achieved record numbers. FIFA statistics revealed that total stadium attendance exceeded 6.2 million spectators across 96 matches, the highest figure in World Cup history, which this year saw an increase in the number of participating teams to 48. In the context of commercializing the event, FIFA announced the sale of pieces of grass from the stadium hosting the final to fans at prices ranging from $450 to $3,000 per piece, aiming to generate additional revenues exceeding $11 million. This comes amidst demands from local authorities in New Jersey for a share of these profits to offset the costs of preparing the facility.
The United States, which is co-hosting the current edition with Canada and Mexico, has expressed openness, through the tournament's working groups, to bidding to host the 2038 World Cup with an expanded format of 64 teams. The next edition of the tournament in 2030 will be hosted by Spain, Morocco, and Portugal. This will be followed by a 2034 version in Saudi Arabia.